It’s unusual for any band to launch straight into a signed deal with a label without the release of a demo or starting EP, but that’s exactly what Spanish black metal band WRONG have achieved with their debut album MEMORIES OF SORROW. This project is the brain child of Phlegeton from the band WORMED taking the role of vocals and drums in this project, and DP from the band THE YTRIPLE CORPORATION, writing the guitars, bass and piano. Their numerous ex-bands has obviously left this band well connected but don’t let that fool you into thinking that they are undeserving of this support.

Right from the onset it’s obvious why Aphelion Productions snapped up this band so quickly. The opening scream in ‘They Look at Me’ is a powerful introduction to an album that carries that energy through from beginning to end. The use of bends in both ‘They look at me’ and ‘Through this Slit’ give an edge to the songs that really make them stand out from the others, a difficult technique to work into riffs this way, it really is testament to the talent of these guys and the chemistry they share as a band. Although this album is a really exciting bridge between the worlds of traditional and suicidal depressive black metal, it doesn’t quite realize its full potential, relying all too often on tremolo riffs and blast beats to carry to the next section. This is almost forgivable though when you listen to the vocals. Phlegeton’s cries of torment communicate a genuine horror, a trip towards insanity that is filled with both dark pleasure and intense suffering. Despite the fact that they can fall back to the standards, the music seems genuine where so many others try simply to be more evil or more depressed than the others.

This album walks the line between traditional black metal and the avant-garde. Rather than many extreme albums of this nature though, WRONG connect with the listener through making them believe that they are part of a struggle against madness and despair. This is a great first album for a band that obviously has so much more to offer.

Review by Caitlin Smith

Track Listing

1. They Look At Me
2. Through This Slit
3. I Prefer So
4. Now I Remember
5. I Want To Hear You Scream